Philips, Lite-on, BenQ prep Blu-ray drives

Computex 2006 Philips this week launched its first Blu-ray Disc drive, and was quickly followed by Lite-on and BenQ. Both the Philips and the Lite-on models are due to ship in the UK in August, the two companies said separately.

Lite-on's alternative is the LH-2B1S, and it should be capable of working with BD-R and BD-RE media in single- and dual-layer forms too. Like the SPD7000, the Lite-on drive will also burn DVD±R/RW discs and CD-RW media.

BenQ's BW1000 drive was also described by the company as a "triple writer" - it too will handle all the Blu-ray versions, along with DVD±R/RW and CD-RW media.

Philips said it expects its drive to retail for around £550 in August, the same month the Lite-on product is due to ship. Lite-on did not reveal how much it will charge for the drive, and BenQ kept mum on both pricing and availability. ®